These Fairy Tales
by Gray Skyed
Summary: A young man determined to save his country, and another who is hiding to stay alive. In a land that seems fit for fairy tales their future unfolds
1. Chapter 1

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Okay so something slightly uhm weird this time around. I am going to use a fairy tale (and I am sure most people will be able to guess what it is at one point). But I will only use the base of the fairy tale and not do like a repeat of it in GW form. It's just going to be a base/starting point for me. Last night I was thinking about some one-shot ideas and this came to me though I am not sure it will be a one shot. I am going to try and keep this a 100% Heero POV fic as a challenge to myself. I am also only expecting it to be maybe 3-4 chapters. Enjoy everyone!

In the land of the first country of Sank, there was a warrior so feared and so vicious that all knew his name. Jay the warrior was known for his ruthless tactics and his magical silver arm. It had been said he made a deal with the devil to gain that arm. When J was just a young soldier in the El one army, his troop had been attacked; his arm was badly burned and completely useless. In his rage he left the army and wandered on his own before returning after years had passed, his arm a gruesome mixture of silver and tan skin with a faint glow of blue. His skin was leather and his smile devious. Refusing to conform to his countries laws he formed his own army and staged a revolt where his followers managing to conquer all five countries of Sank. Sank one had been first, the bloodshed was endless and the cruelty of his followers earned them the nickname of white fang. Sank two had followed soon after; a county ravaged by drought and difficult times was struck by a disease, rumored to be released by Jay himself. The citizens stood no chance and the few that survived at the end migrated to other countries just to survive. Sank four surrendered immediately when they came under attack. Sank three and five allied in a last attempt to free all countries. Their alliance failed and they were forced to surrender to the overwhelming power of Jay and the white fang.

All countries were united under Jay and in some ways the unity helped but the damage had already been done and the people struggled to get by. Sank two was completely abandoned. Sank one had a low population and was barely boosted by those who fled there from Sank two. Sank four seemed to suffer the least and could almost be considered prosperous. Sank three and five were both in great depressions just struggling to keep from falling away.

It was under these circumstances that the most unlikely of friendships formed.

Jay decided to remain in Sank one. He constructed himself a large stone fortress and chose to take a wife. Out of all the things Jay had done, his choice in a wife was the only thing that showed he had any heart, the one action that could be called compassionate. Jay had long loved a woman, after his arm burned and he vanished she fallen into despair, fearing him dead. Eventually though, she married another man and gave birth to a son, Heero. Some say that Jay's arm had originally been a deal with a fairy and not with the devil. His request to restore his arm for his true love, but when he returned to find her wed and with child, he went on a craze, destroying everything to avenge his broken heart. The woman's husband had passed during the wars, but she still agreed to marry Jay, hoping to cure his angered temper and sooth his heart to save the lands. Her young son came with her, and Jay, for the most part, ignored him.

Unfortunately, everything that had been done could not be undone and the woman passed away a short year later. The rumors had begun that the woman passed away from heart ache for her dead husband, and the death of the Jay she had known. But what had really happened had been kept under wraps for years before the truth surfaced. She had contracted the Sank two disease and passed away. She had gotten the disease while exploring a secret chamber of Jay's. The countries mourned the passing of the one balm to the cruel ruler, their one defense between him and them. But no one took the loss harder than her son. He became determined to destroy Jay, and everything he had done. His heart hardened to all and his mind resolute.

It was lucky for Heero that Jay had always had so little interest in him, all that he did easily escaped Jay's notice. He was not foolish enough to think he could destroy Jay with a bit of poison or a stab of his heart while he slept. One of Jay's followers would easily take his place, and things would remain as they were. He needed to destroy them all, so in secret, he plotted with the people of his country and with those of the other countries, anyone he could reach who would help him. His heart still remained closed to everyone. Until one day when a new family moved into town.

In his effort to ally with everyone he could Heero was often going into the town and meeting with the people, gaining their trust and devotion, their promises to help him in any way possible. When a new family came into the village, he set off the next day to speak with them. Heero was only ten years of age, and many would call him mature for he acted like an adult.

As he knocked on that door he had no idea that his entire life would be shaped by the people who resided behind it.

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Taduuuum mini prologue fun. Hoping to finish this story before I even have to put up the first chapter or at least get 90% done so even if stuff happens I can just pop up chapters (or if people prod me and remind me to upload since I am lazy about uploading). 


	2. Chapter 2

Starting the Heero POV now, hoping to keep it for the entire story. May consider doing a sequel with Duo POV if I come up with good ideas for his role in this story.

I knocked on the door as firmly as I could; any hesitation was a sign of weakness. Every time I went to do this though, I felt nothing but weak and afraid. It would only take one person breaking their silence on what I was planning for everything to be ruined. When no one opened the door I knocked again and waited as a woman with blonde hair hesitantly opened the door. "Can we help you young man?" I could see her sizing me up, and I was not sure why. I gave the same line I always do "I came to welcome you to the neighborhood." She looked at me questioningly, and then motioned for me to come in. Her voice was almost melodic and she seemed very sweet, but cautious. Considering the world we lived in, I could not blame her. "Welcome us to the neighborhood huh? Did your parents tell you to come over and play nice with the new kids on the street then?" she had a beautiful smile on her face and for a moment I almost wished that she was my mother as well. My voice choked for just a short moment when I spoke. "No, my parents are dead, I live in the castle with Jay."

I could see her whole body tense when I said that. Before we could continue our exchange I saw a man with short sandy brown hair come into the room holding the hand of a girl with a long brown hair with hints of gold from sun exposure. The girl tore away from the man and came bounding over to me. "Hi! I am Duo, what's your name?" When I heard his voice I realized that Duo was actually a boy, and not a girl. The woman whispered something to the man and then he turned to me. "Well, Heero, why don't you and Duo go play outside for a bit with our other children? I am sure you could use some fun." I nodded, not in agreement but was rather conceding. I would not make them feel nervous or uneasy. It was often hard for people to accept that a ten year old could be so mature and sometimes just giving them time to realize I was not a normal child was all they needed. In the mean time, I would play nice with the other children, though it always seemed like such a chore.

Duo grabbed my hand enthusiastically and pulled me to the backyard. "Are you gunna be my brother too?" I tilted my head and looked at him. What did he mean, be his brother? "Like Solo, Taylor and Anne of course! Though, you don' look much like us, so I am not sure it will work. That's why we couldn't bring Hilde with us..." His face got very sad then as he sat down in a pile of sand and drew patterns with his fingers. "I hope you can stay with us, I don't want Sissa Helen and Father Maxwell to have to turn down another kid... it always makes them so sad and the kids... I don' know what happens to them."

I suddenly realized why everyone was so tense and nervous. This was a family of orphans. Jay had shut down all orphanages saying the strong would survive and the weak would perish. So many kids from Sank Two had become homeless and abandoned and no one was allowed to take them in. But it appeared that this family took in children who looked similar to them to try and fool people. Had they moved here for a fresh start? I couldn't help but wonder if others did the same thing...

He made little shapes in the sand and after a few minutes the man and woman, who I assumed were Helen and Father Maxwell, came out with some drinks for us. A small blonde haired boy was trailing behind them; he looked to be a little older than me. Based on his hair and eye color he could easily be assumed to be Helen's son. Duo hair was like father Maxwell's but his eyes matched neither. But since no one had caught onto their rouse.. why would anyone notice, or question it?

Helen handed me a drink and I asked the one question that had been bothering me "Are there more like you? More hidden orphanages I mean?" Helen dropped the tray with the other drinks and the boy looked suddenly enraged and shouted. "You told him, didnya Duo!? I told them you couldn't keep a secret, but they let you come anyway. Now you have ruined it all!"

Duo was completely still then and he turned his eyes starting to tear up. "I didn know! I thought he was another kid we was going to take in. I didn know I swear!" He turned his sad eyes on me "You won't tell will ya? Please? You can't tell we need Sissa Helen and Father Maxwell. Please, please don't tell." I didn't have time to step in before Solo shouted again "He lives with Jay of course he is gunna tell and then Jay is gunna kill us all you idiot!" Tears streaked down Duo's cheeks and he quickly shot up and ran off. Helen and Maxwell called after him but he didn't stop. Helen's face got a little mad and she turned to Solo "Go find your brother and bring him back here." Solo had tears forming in his eyes too "NO! He is not my brother and he has ruined everything!" He ran inside and slammed the door behind him.

Helen turned to me then. "Are you.. going to tell Jay?" I shook my head no quickly "No, Jay killed my father and my mother. I hate him and I came here hoping to gain your help in destroying him." Helen knelt next to me a sad look on her face "Such words from someone so young. How sad your life must have been. Please feel free to come any time and forget your troubles for a while." With that she walked off, presumably to locate Duo. It was the first time someone had.. pitied me I suppose. Jay ignored me as did the guards. The towns people always called me mature, wise, and responsible. But Helen saw something else, the child still inside of me, crying out for some attention. I wiped away a few tears and saw Father Maxwell looking down at me smiling. "Helen has a way of doing that you know, seeing exactly what someone needs and giving it to them. As she said, you are welcome here anytime. I only ask you keep our secret." I nodded; their secret was quite safe with me. I already admired them and what they were doing, no need to ask me to help them.

Helen returned before I left a sad look on her face. "I will just give him some time; he just needs to be alone for a while. I am sure he will come back on his own... hopefully". She hadn't found Duo, and it was upsetting her. I didn't need to intrude anymore. I thanked them both for their help and left for the night. I would come back the next day and check on them and Duo.

Unfortunately when I knocked on the door the next morning I could see the desperation in Helen's eyes and the worry rolled through their house. They had not found Duo, and he had not come back. I could see some guilt on Solo's face but he seemed too proud to admit it. Helen stayed home watching the younger girls Taylor and Anne, and Father Maxwell had gone out to search for Duo. I stayed the whole day. It's not like Jay would notice me gone and there was something about Helen that just made me feel safe and wanted. When night came and it was time to leave, Maxwell finally wandered in, lacking Duo, with a look of despair on his face. He only had to shake his head for everyone to know he had not found Duo. I left again, heading home before Jay did notice me gone.

The next day when I knocked and noticed no Duo I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew the area well and hoped I could help. I told Helen I would look for Duo, and she got a big smile and put her hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to pretend to be grown up for us Heero, you are just a kid. But if you want to help I would appreciate it. Solo and Father Maxwell already left to look for him; you know the area and could help as well."

I set out for the mountains, it was the only place someone could really hide well and I knew them better than I knew my own home. Many times I pondered a siege on the castle and the mountains would be the perfect place for soldiers to hide, so I memorized them. I spent a better part of the morning looking in the larger caves and finally caught a break when I checked one of the few rivers that flowed through. I saw a patch of golden brown and smiled. He was in the river and shaking badly as he came out. Throwing his clothes on quickly before curling up in a ball and shivering. I was fairly certain he had not noticed me yet so I continued toward him until my shadow covered his form.

He cracked open one eye and in a tired voice spoke. "So I s'pose you are here to kill me." I shook my head and knelt down. "No, I am not here to kill you. I didn't tell Jay anything, and I don't intend to tell him anything." He shrugged then, not looking happy at the good news "Well thanks then but I already ruined it so it don' matter anyway. Not sure why you came looking for me when I got nowhere ta' go."

I scrunched up my face then, confused as to what he meant "What about Helen and Maxwell?" He sat up quickly looking at me surprised "Well, aint they gone? That was the plan after all. Before we came here, everyone knew the plan. If we was discovered then we was to leave that night or as soon as possible. We knew it was dangerous coming to Sank one but it was our best option... They shoulda left already."

In the world Jay had created, nobody's life was easy, I knew mine certainly was hard, but it almost seemed like Duo's was harder in that moment. I ruffled the hair on his head and grabbed his hand to pull him up. It was cold as ice and I realized the stream was probably freezing. "Helen and Maxwell did not leave, we should go back to them now, they are very worried about you."

I took the shortest route back to town but there was something wrong with Duo, he was listless and kept stumbling. His skin looked very white and he could barely keep his eyes open. I was just a kid though; I didn't know what to do, or how to help him. For as long as I can remember I never felt this way, felt my age, it terrified me, and I just wanted to get him back home as fast as I could. When I finally reached his door he looked ready to fall over, and it was late in the evening. I banged on the door as loud as possible and Helen swung it open quickly, falling to her knees at the sight of Duo. But no matter how tired Duo was he wouldn't be stopped from doing what he felt he needed too and before Helen could even wrap her arms around him he was talking. "I am sorry Sissa Helen, I ruined everything and I didn' mean too, really, I didn'... Please don't leave me alone."

I saw tears in Helens eyes as she wrapped her arms around him and cried. "We would never leave you Duo, no matter what; we won't leave you behind, Okay? I love you Duo, even if you aren't my child, I love you as if you were." He smiled a little and then his knees seemed to give out and his eyes rolled back. I was frightened again, about what was wrong with him, and Helen seemed to be too. She scooped him up into her arms and muttered something about him being freezing before rushing him to one of the back rooms. After she exited the door way I got a clear look of the person who had been standing behind her, Solo. He seemed angry, very angry; the look on his face was almost pure rage. Was he not happy that I had brought Duo back?

He sneered at me before storming back to his own room and slamming the door. I could see Maxwell stand up from a chair nearby and give a sigh. "Forgive Solo, Heero, it's just hard for him to adjust to having other children around. He was an only child and has jealous tendencies." I nodded, but didn't understand. He may be jealous of Duo but shouldn't he at least be happy he was alive?

Helen came back out, looking very tired but a small smile over her face. She knelt down next to me and hugged me tightly. I stood completely still for a moment, no one had given me a hug since... my mother. I don't know what it was, but something inside me let loose and I just started crying, and couldn't stop. I don't remember falling asleep or being moved but when I woke up I was laying on a bed with Duo a few feet away from me. He was sound asleep and shivering a little bit. I sat up and looked down at him, he looked better, but worse. He didn't look so pale anymore, but he was slightly red and was shivering. His hair was glowing softly in the moon light and his breathing was light and soft. I couldn't help touching his hair though, it looked so soft and shiny, and I realized it had been undone from the braid to help it dry faster. When I rand my hand through his bangs I felt the warmth on his forehead and panicked. I ran to the door of the room and opened it. I could see Helen and Maxwell at the end of the hall and they quickly stood up, to check on me, but I pointed to Duo. Helen sat down where I had been laying and gently touched his forehead with the back of her hand.

She let out a sigh and motioned for me to come closer so she could whisper. "It's alright Heero; he just has a little fever from his chill. I had another talk with him and he hasn't eaten anything since he left here. He is just tired and a bit sick. He will be okay."

She tucked me back in with him but I moved to get up, I needed to get back to the castle. Her hand held me down gently "Don't worry Heero, it would be more suspicious if you tried to sneak in late at night, than if you didn't go back at all. Just stay put." I nodded, and it felt so good to be in a place where people cared about me, or even pretended too. Helen stroked my hair, kissed my forehead and left the room.

When I woke up the next morning I had a pair of violet eyes staring down at me. I shifted nervously and he seemed to catch on that I was awake. His voice was raspy as he spoke and his nose was red but he seemed to be in a good mood. "Morning, Heero, what are you doin in my bed? Are you going to be staying with us?" The second question seemed to excite him a lot and he suddenly jumped on me wrapping his arms around me. "I always wanted a brother, well I mean, I have Solo but he don' count acuz he is a bully."

I heard a door latch behind me and Helen had entered the room with a scolding look on her face. "Now Duo, that's not true. Solo was very worried about you when you were gone, and he is very sorry for what happened." I wondered if it would be right to tell Duo that he didn't look worried when Duo had come back, but I thought it wise to just hold my tongue. Duo looked down and played with the sheets and mumbled "He didn say he was sorry, and I know he don' like me." At first I wasn't sure Helen had heard it but then she let out a sigh. "He will apologize, give him time, but he was very worried and he likes you, he just isn't used to sharing like you are. He was an only child, very spoiled; you had been living with all of the other street children."

It was amazing how Duo just shrugged it off then asked Helen if I was staying. I chose then to interrupt. "I just stayed the night on accident, I won't be staying, Jay would notice eventually, and I don't look like you." Helen smiled and picked up a pillow and hit me softly with it, causing Duo to laugh. "Don't sound so grown up, you, you are just a kid. Besides I expect you to come over here every day that you can and spend the whole day with us." I didn't know about spending the whole day, but I liked it here, I really did, and I intended to come every day I could and spend as long here as possible.

Duo yelped in excitement when I nodded to Helen's words and he threw his arms around me again. "Thas okay then, I guess I don' need another brother but I would like a best friend." I had never had a best friend or even a friend really. For some reason Duo's words made me very happy and I hugged him back. I had gotten more hugs in the last day then I had gotten in many years. Somehow life, and everything, felt more bearable, dare I say it, even, happy.

I spent the whole day at the house, and went back that night, no one had noticed me gone and I felt like gloating, but was careful to keep myself in check. As I lay in my own bed that night, in the cold room, out of the way, I smiled and thought about what the next day was going to be like, and for the first time in a long time, I couldn't wait to wake up the next day.

There goes Chapter one. The more I write the longer it seems this is going to be. I am horrible at estimating things x.x. I will just see how long this ends up being  
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	3. Chapter 3

I woke up on the morning of my fourteenth birthday and jumped out of the bed. Helen had made a tradition of celebrating my birthday like I was one of her own children. It had been four years since they had moved here and every day still seemed to get better and better. I raced out of the castle; no one ever paid any mind to me and what I did. I banged on the door to their house and it swung open to reveal Maxwell. "Well come on in, Heero, and happy birthday." I smiled and he gave me a hug, handing me a package. I opened the paper and saw a new belt, made of soft leather. I thanked him just before I was shoved another package by a shy looking Anne. "This is from me, Taylor and Sister Helen." I smiled and carefully peeled it open and saw a new outfit inside, a nice black shirt with leggings. Solo trudged down the hall next at Helens prodding and he handed me a pair of unwrapped boots, then stared at me for a few minutes, making me nervous, before he sat down at the table for breakfast. Taylor, the youngest, wandered out on her own, yawning and smiling, telling me happy birthday and hugging my leg. She was only five, and was adorably cute.

I began to wonder where Duo was, he was sometimes a late riser but every birthday I had so far he was usually the first to greet me. Helen seemed to read my mind and got up from the table where we had all migrated too. "I will go get him; he has been working on your present non-stop whenever you are not here. I don't think he will ever feel like its finished or good enough, but time is up." I heard her knock on his door then saw her disappear behind it. Duo finally came out, both hands behind his back, holding something. He walked down the hall, right up to me. He seemed unusually nervous and his voice wavered a little as he spoke. "Sorry, I haven't had time to wrap it, but I guess I need to stop working on it now." He slowly pulled out a sheathed sword from behind his back. The handle was solid steel with fine brown leather wrapped around it. The sheath was white, and light tan, and looked like ivory and leather and had a lot of tooling down it with silver studs keeping the leather attached. I took it from him carefully, as if it was the most precious gift I had ever gotten, and in reality, it was. I pulled the sword out and saw a pair of wings etched into the base of the blade and smiled. Duo's family liked to tease me about being an angel out to save the world. Duo was smiling nervously at me, waiting for my approval. I sheathed the sword again and threw my arms around him, for once. "Thank you so much Duo, I love it." He seemed to glow at the comment but the next thing I heard was a door slamming and I noticed Solo missing from the table.

Maxwell frowned and shook his head "He is just a bit touchy lately, don't worry he will get over it." I nodded and shrugged it off. Solo and I got along well enough; he seemed to be nice to me but was constantly picking on Duo. Whenever Duo wasn't around he was more than happy to be my friend, and I wondered sometimes if Solo was trying to steal me away from Duo because he was jealous, or wanted to make Duo jealous. Before anyone could get too upset about Solo's outburst Duo grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door where he grabbed a pair of fishing poles. "Come on Heero, we can go fishing in the mountain stream. I went looking yesterday and there is a bunch of fish in the catch pool." It was clear Duo had planned a few events for my birthday and I felt so wanted and loved as we scaled the mountain hill to the catch pond. We spent the whole day fishing, talking and exploring, returning only when it was getting dark, just in time for my birthday dinner. We brought a basket of fish back with us and Maxwell took it and stored it in their stone box with salt to cure. We all sat around the table and ate the wonderful food Helen spent all day making, joking and laughing, even Solo joined in.

I was walking home that night, with the sword hidden under the other presents. I didn't think it would be a big deal but I still did not want Jay or the guards to see. I put the clothes in my drawer and stuck the sword under the bed. As I was hiding the sword the weight of my life started to pull me down again. I knew I would have to start training, and soon, if I wanted to be able to fight in the war I intended to start. I felt depressed for a short while, but pulled myself out of it, thinking about the gift I would get Duo next month. Duo was a year and a month younger than me, so he would be turning thirteen next month and I always tried to outdo his gifts to me. I wasn't sure if I could outdo this sword though. I fell asleep, thinking about what I could give him.

It took me almost half of the month to figure out what I would do and then I was in a rush to get it done in time. I ran to Duo's house on his birthday and knocked on the door. Helen opened it and smiled at me "Good morning, Heero, Duo will be out in a second." I nodded and she knocked on his door and he stumbled out with a yawn. "Morning, Heero." I smiled and gave him a hug "Happy birthday, Duo." His smile got a lot brighter then and he thanked me. As usual he didn't expect any gifts nor asked me where it was. Duo just seemed to be happy to have people around him wishing him a good day. After breakfast I grabbed his hand and drug him to the castle. I had never taken anyone to the castle before and I wasn't sure how the guards would react, but other than a lifted brow they didn't seem to care. I took Duo straight to my room, warning him not to wander, remembering what had happened to my mother. He oohed and awed over my room, it was much larger than his and some of the things I had were quite nice. I sat him down in my chair and then reached under my bed to pull out a long present wrapped in deep blue cloth with a necklace wrapped around it. He gasped and immediately put on the necklace, carefully pulling the cloth from around his own sword. I had it made to match mine almost. However, it was dyed black with bat wings on the sword. Duo loved bats, they reminded him of his days on the streets when his gang had been called flying rats because of their speed and expertise at stealing. He gently placed the gifts on the chair and hugged me as tight as he could, saying thank you over and over.

I never knew it could feel so good to give. But at the same time I had an ulterior motive. I felt nervous asking him, but I had been thinking about it and knew it was what I wanted. "Duo... would you help me... would you train with me?" I knew I wanted someone there with me, to support me. His family had made me stronger and helped me become more passionate about fighting for the people and not just myself. He was faithful to me no matter what and he was... my best friend. I couldn't imagine doing this without him. He seemed enamored at the sword, necklace and cloth but he still managed an answer "Of course I will Heero." I think he missed my smile then but I felt like I was soaring.

We snuck the swords out of the castle, and Maxwell approved of me keeping mine there since it would be easier to not sneak it out all the time. Duo and I practiced with our swords every day, sometimes getting Maxwell to help us, or Solo. Though we learned pretty quick not to let Duo and Solo spar, Duo had a soft spot for his siblings but Solo tended to take things too far and he wound up slicing open Duo's arm once. It healed with a scar, a reminder of how real our swordplay was and what would come. Solo finally got his own sword, after much begging to his 'parents'. I had gotten him a bow and arrow for his birthday but he didn't seem to care much for it after Duo managed to outshoot him without any effort, when Solo had been practicing for weeks. It was a lovely bow and Helen and Maxwell would use it to play games with the girls, so it never went to waste. Once Solo got his sword however, he decided to make himself a permanent fixture in my training with Duo. He showed up at least once a day to spar with me. It was nice in a sense to fight someone who fought different from Duo, it gave me the ability to adapt to different fighters. None of us could beat Maxwell though; his sword skills were beyond our comprehension.

Another year passed this way, and in some ways Solo started to calm and be a better brother to Duo. Though it did not take much to provoke him back to how he had been. We decided on a neutral schedule. Duo and I would practice in the mornings and then Solo would come about lunch time while Duo ran home to get lunch for all of us. When Duo came back we would eat together then find something less serious to do like fish or go rock climbing. In the afternoon Maxwell would let us spar with him and in the evenings we would all play an archery game with the bow before dark.

It was my fifteenth birthday before I knew it and I ran the whole way to the Maxwell's house. Duo had been to the castle a few times since my birthday but never without me. I banged on the door and Solo opened the door with a smile. "Hey, Heero, come on in." I smiled back and as soon as I was in the door he handed me his gift. It was a helmet, a bit on the gaudy side perhaps with the large red tassels on top, but still nicely made and useful. I thanked him and gave him a short hug. Once again Duo was still in his room and it took Helen prodding him out. He came racing out this time with a huge wrapped gift. "Okay, just finished wrapping it, here you go, Heero." I slowly pulled the brown paper and strings away and gasped at the beautiful shield that was beneath. Solo sneered at Duo over it but Duo was too excited to notice and jumped around happily. "Come on Heero; let's go so you can try out your new gifts." I got more clothes from Helen, Anne and Taylor and a new pair of boots from Maxwell. We raced down to our practice spot. Duo was carrying both of our swords while I carried my new shield and helmet. I remembered in the back of my head that Duo's birthday would be in a month and I needed to start thinking of something fantastic for him.

We spent the whole day playing with the new equipment and barely managed to drag ourselves to the dinner table. Duo fell asleep on the table and I was ready to drop off too. I figured I should head home but Helen insisted I stay the night since it was already so late and I was tired. I followed Duo to his room and crawled into the bed with him. The walk to the room had woke me up a bit so I lay still just staring at Duo, trying to go back to the sleepy state. But the more I stared the more I was entrapped by him. He had grown so much in the last year; his hair was still as soft and beautiful as ever, his features more defined as the childhood chubbiness fell away. I knew two beautiful jewels were nestled behind his eyelids and his mouth seemed to be always smiling. His skin was tan from the sun and he seemed to be glowing in the moonlight.

I had noticed my ... attraction to him growing over time but thought it to be just a silly crush, not worth pursuing. But the longer it lasted the more I realized what was going on. I bit my lip, knowing I wouldn't be getting to sleep soon and decided to finally be brave and face up to what I was feeling. "Duo?" he mumbled a response at me and I took a deep breath, carefully wording my reply. "Since it's my birthday, can I have one more present?" His eyelids fluttered open then and I felt a little guilty since I knew he would never deny me anything I asked. He looked a little confused but shrugged "Sure, Heero, what did ya want?" I almost laughed at the slip in his language. He still had a slight accent like when he came and it would come out occasionally when he was tired. I hesitated before leaning forward and pressing my lips softly against his. I knew what it meant and I had seen others my age doing it to the person they liked, I was just worried about Duo's response. He was wide eyed for a moment, touching his lips before he leaned back and pressed his lips against mine a bit more firm than I had been. I let out a small happy laugh and he smiled. I lifted my hand to ruffle his hair "Thanks, Duo, night, sleep well." He nodded and smirked back "Anytime, Heero, anytime." I fell asleep not long after.

That started a habit between Duo and I, I would sneak a kiss from him whenever I got the chance and he would do the same. Things didn't go much farther than kissing though we tended to experiment with the kisses a bit. He had started coming to meet me at the castle and walk me home so we had more alone time. Unfortunately, one night, Solo decided to follow us and caught us. He said he would tattle and that would be the end of it. Duo cried then, clinging to me. I felt like crying too but I hugged him tight, made him go home and headed into the castle. I would see what was going to happen in the morning.

I was so nervous the next day. Duo was not outside to meet me and it was the first time since I could remember that I did not rush out of the castle as soon as I was dressed. It was also the first time I had seen Jay in possibly, years. He seemed shocked at my appearance, but that was to be expected, the last time he really paid any attention to me was when my mother was alive and I was with her. I was much taller, and my muscles were defined from my swordplay. I was probably starting to look like a threat, so I ducked out quickly and acted a tad clumsy and stupid during the time he saw me. I think it soothed him a bit, but he would be getting worried now.

The walk to the Maxwell's was longer than usual, and when I knocked on the door and saw Maxwell's serious face I knew things would be awkward. We all sat down, Helen, Solo, Duo, Maxwell and I, to discuss this. I felt lightheaded when Helen and Maxwell told me they were fine with this but wished we had not hidden it. That seemed to anger Solo as he stormed out, grabbing his sword on the way, probably to hit something with. We did get a lecture about how far we should take this at our age and they seemed relieved to learn we had just been kissing; Helen seemed to think it... cute... We promised not to hide it from them again but still had a fear set in us from the earlier experience and opted to stay in the home for the day and have a fun day cooking with Helen and carving with Maxwell. I went to bed that night more exhausted than I had ever felt before, but woke the next morning with a much calmer spirit. I got up early to check pick up Duo's gift from the blacksmith. His birthday was tomorrow and I was ecstatic that it was ready. It was a large scythe, manufactured for battle with strong steel and tinted black except for the blade. It had carvings into it of small bats and had been made larger and sharper than a normal scythe would be. Duo had gushed to me a few times how his street gang had used scythes to escape. They would hook them onto the edges of roofs and pull themselves up or they could easily swing them at someone chasing them, to make them think twice about pursuit. I then rushed back to the castle to hide it and headed to Maxwell's, eager to see Duo. He was eager to see me as well, as if we needed to connect, to reassure each other everything had played out okay.

I didn't see Solo that day, he left before I got there and when I left that evening with Duo walking me home, he still had not returned. Duo and I shared a soft, sweet kiss outside the castle gate; I didn't want the guards or Jay to see us together. The kiss turned a bit needier than they usually did but we broke apart in a need for air. Duo smiled and I wrapped my arms around and kissed his eyelids. "Good night Duo, thank you for bringing me home." He smiled and kisses me lightly one more time before waving goodbye and heading home. I checked on his present under my bed as soon as I got home then flopped down onto my mattress, grinning like an idiot. I pulled my sheets over me and could barely fall asleep because my mind didn't want to end the wonderful day. But eventually, I dozed off. When I woke I realized I was quite late and felt bad, being late on Duo's birthday. I dressed quickly and ran to their house where I knocked on the door. Helen opened it and seemed surprised to see me there "Oh, hello Heero, where is Duo?"

She could tell by the questioning look on my face that I didn't know what she was talking about "Well he went to the castle to fetch you when you didn't come by this morning." I nodded and headed back to the castle, maybe I had passed him without noticing. I was halfway back to the castle when I saw him running towards me at full speed a look of terror on his face. He didn't stop when he came near me, instead he grabbed my wrist and yanked me behind him, not slowing down in the slightest. I tugged at his grasp but he didn't stop or answer my questions until we were in his house and the door thrown shut behind him. "You have to leave; now, Jay is going to kill you."

I was shocked, but could only respond with "What". He was out of breath and struggling to reply "I went to the castle to get you. I got lost since I have never gone to your room alone before, I ended up in some hidden chamber and J was in there. He had a mirror, a magic mirror and he asked it who was the most powerful person in Sank and it said you. He ordered the guards to go to your room and kill you. I sneaked out once they left for your room. You have to leave, now, before he finds you." Duo grabbed my wrist and my sword and shield and drug me to the cellar of his house through an escape in the floor, I had not even know it was there. Once we were in there he opened another trap door and then turned around and kissed me. His voice was rushed, he knew time was short "I know this is going to sound stupid and I know I am young and know thing of life. But I love you Heero, please be safe." He shoved me down into the trap door with my sword and shield and I went to grab him to bring him with me. "No, Heero, I need to stall them. You need to run, just run and don't stop. I will keep them from finding this and you and then I will try and get everyone out of here as soon as I can. Helen and Maxwell took Taylor and Anne to get new fabric for dresses, they won't be gone long. I will start getting our stuff ready to leave. This tunnel opens up in the mountains; don't stop until you are out of the mountains then wait for us a few days to meet you there. If we don't show up.... then don't come back, keep going."

I tried to grab him again or jump out but he slammed the trap door and blocked it. I banged on it a few times but he wouldn't let me out. It wasn't long before I heard the voices.

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I have this story almost completed I have like literally one chapter left of it to write up (I have quite a few more to post but only one left to write). If it seems like I am taking too long to update, just prod me or message me to remind me. I have a very busy schedule these days and it just slips my mind to update.  
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